Samsung hands TCA brief for Purple handset launch

SamsungSamsung has appointed The Communications Agency (TCA), the integrated marketing services agency, to work on the launch of the U600 Purple handset following a competitive pitch. It is not known how many agencies pitched for the business.

The brief was to create a brand identity for the new phone, to target young and fashion-conscious women. The Purple phone will be launched exclusively in Orange stores and on orange.co.uk.

TCA has created a press and poster campaign, which will include a six-page wrap-around on afternoon free-sheet, London Lite. The ads use the strapline: “Purple is the new black”.

The agency has also integrated the brand identity and campaign message into launch-pack design carrier bags and an internal Orange call centre incentive scheme.

Susan Land, head of channel marketing at Samsung Mobile, says: “TCA has worked with us creating, developing and rolling out a campaign that fully reflects the handset’s unique proposition of stylish fashion and clever functionality.” The high-end Samsung phone, which costs £300, will compete against other premium phones including the iPhone, which launches next month, the Palm Treo and the LG Prada.

The U600 comes with a 3.2 mega-pixel camera and is ultra-thin with a 10.9mm frame. Samsung claims it is the world’s slimmest slider phone.